Thais Wanting To Be White - The Lengths They'll Go To

[Chopper71]

It's pretty amazing seeing so many good looking Thai people obsessing about being white. I go to the supermarket to buy moisturiser and all the d*mn products are also skin whitening. I'm a farang and I'm quite proud of my tan and the last thing I want is to buy something that's going to get rid of it.

It's amazing, I saw a guy the other day wearing a woollen balaclava and the temperature was on the edge of the 40's!! It's so sad seeing people going to such lengths to try and stay as pale as possible. I heard about a Thai singer who ruined her looks using cheap whitening products and now the poor girl can't get a gig so is on the poverty line. She thought that if she was whiter, she would be more popular with audiences. Sad, so frustrating and the media just reinforces the white ideal.

What can be done? And what crazy things have you seen Thais do to try and become white?

[elshaheen]

Asians male or female from a family line that does not have a dominant white gene in their body want to make their skin lighter or to some extreme complete white. Those who are a mixed Thai with either Chinese or Lao are somewhat blessed.

Then, there are those in the western world, who want to be darker or black.

I like it as Michael Jackson once sang, "Black and White" or Janet Jackson did in "Feedback". It's all about taste.

Light Skin, Dark Skin, My Asian Persuasion,

I Got them all that's why these girls out here hatin

Cause I'm sexy

[swissie]

This is a phenomenon that exists in all countries that we now have started to call "emerging economies". These countries are to be found (at) or south of the aequator. Most of the people are dark skinned. But the ruling "Elte" is lighter skinned (if not white). Therefore: Light skin is associated with "Wealth, Health and Success in general". Thailand is no exeption.

If you watch Thai TV you will see a lot of "white" people running the show. If you look at people in power, may it be on a managerial/business level or in politics you will also see a lot of "white people".

According to my (Thai) wife: A light skinned Thai person stands for "pretty, well educated, well mannered, and not short of money". Period! = Dark skinned people from the Isan stand for exactly the opposite.

Can one blame the Isan-Girls in Pattaya for spending a fortune on becoming "more white" ? (And possibly ruining their facial skin by appliying "low cost cosmetic products, made ein china"?). We all have seen them: Distorted skin (mainly on the cheeks=looking like "pimples" of a teeenager but 10 times worse!! We all have seen it.

This is the price that people (at) or south of the aequator are willing th pay to look more "pretty, more educated, more well mannered, and not short of money"! A sad state of affairs, but fact not fiction !

Cheers.

[Gigabyte]

It's all to do with social status. In cold countries where the sun can't tan you all year round, to show a dark complexion shows that you are well off, can go to the South or exotic countries, and just do nothing but get dark doing nothing under the sun. Something you can be proud to show. In tropical countries, if you're dark, it means that you're just a farmer/labourer and must do manual tasks in unpleasant conditions; if however you are white it means that you're either working in an office or shopping in A/C malls all day long, anything except working in the fields.

The same happened in Europe during the renaissance; have you ever noticed from the paintings there that all women (models in their days) were not only pale white but chubby? Yes, being chubby meant that you could afford eating more than your needs. The same is true in other cultures now, before and in the future where being chubby is a sign of your wealth.

Different cultures, different standards... I've also heard a lot about American women ruining their health, skin and wallet spending hours and hours in the artificial suntan salons under an ultra-violet lamp.

[tonititan]

It's so sad seeing people going to such lengths to try and stay as pale as possible.

I've also heard a lot about American women ruining their health, skin and wallet spending hours and hours in the artificial suntan salons under an ultra-violet lamp.

That's very true. What I find just as sad is the western people (some men tan too!) who go to such great lengths to be as tan as possible. In the long run, the damage westerners are doing to their skin is probably worse than what the whitening cream is doing to Thai people's skin.

[happyaussie]

Thai girls want white skin and big noses. Farang girls want dark skin and small noses...go figure. You only have to watch Thai TV and there lies the problem. Viewers are bombarded with skin whittening products and nearly every female celebrity has light skin. It's considered hi-so to have light skin and only farmers have dark skin. I doubt whether it has anything to do with genes or protecting their skin.

In the west girls are obsessed with the super model look, same goes for Thailand.

I think it's a real shame.

[Dave the Dude]

Thai girls want white skin and big noses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiDmMBIyfsU

[thailife69]

The strangest thing I heard on this topic, is that of a foreigner commenting on thai people trying to lighten their skin color.

Just wondering want planet the person has been living on that started this topic.

You should get out more. See the world and take notes.

A trip to the beach or even a solarium might enlighten you, might even make you think twice before leaving yourself wide open to innate observations.

Saves on people thinking you might be a few pennies short of a pound or a few color swabs past grey.

[neilf]

the thai guys i have seen with arms and heads covered etc. have been on building sites and i think just dont want to be burned by the sun-------they cant afford expensive heavy duty blocker and have to work

[Phil Conners]

My Thai wife has a beautiful dark skin tone which she is proud of and which I want her to keep. I always ask her why she keep buying skin products "with whitener". She say it's impossible to buy anything without it in Thailand. TiT

[tonititan]

My Thai wife has a beautiful dark skin tone which she is proud of and which I want her to keep. I always ask her why she keep buying skin products "with whitener". She say it's impossible to buy anything without it in Thailand. TiT

It's not completely impossible, but I agree with her because it is VERY difficult to buy non-whitening products at regular stores. Maybe at the more "western" stores it's easier. I too have had to buy whitening lotion because I could't find anything else. I was looking for lotion a couple days ago, and thinking to myself that I should start an import business specializing in non-whitening products (not really). There's whitening lotion, whitening body wash, whitening makeup, whitening sunscreen.....but my favorite is whitening deodorant. Seriously? Who needs their pits to be white?

[anothertorres]

[Berkshire]

It's so sad seeing people going to such lengths to try and stay as pale as possible.

I've also heard a lot about American women ruining their health, skin and wallet spending hours and hours in the artificial suntan salons under an ultra-violet lamp.

That's very true. What I find just as sad is the western people (some men tan too!) who go to such great lengths to be as tan as possible. In the long run, the damage westerners are doing to their skin is probably worse than what the whitening cream is doing to Thai people's skin.

This is classic. You've hit the nail on the head. The only thing sillier than a person trying to change (or preserve) their skin color by avoiding the sun are those trying to change their skin color by hanging out in the sun. Which is healthier, you think?

[Chopper71]

Hey Thailife, assumption is the mother of all <deleted> ups, so bear that in mind before posting such pompous drivel...

The strangest thing I heard on this topic, is that of a foreigner commenting on thai people trying to lighten their skin color.

Just wondering want planet the person has been living on that started this topic.

You should get out more. See the world and take notes.

A trip to the beach or even a solarium might enlighten you, might even make you think twice before leaving yourself wide open to innate observations.

Saves on people thinking you might be a few pennies short of a pound or a few color swabs past grey.

[bjoe97]

this shows a deep self loathing

which comes from the fact that they know so much of their own house is not in order

and they look to the west, yet, resent the west for doing things

[elwood]

this shows a deep self loathing

which comes from the fact that they know so much of their own house is not in order

and they look to the west, yet, resent the west for doing things

Isn't it amazing that a simple thing like using skin whitener can provoke such an arrogant, condescending comment?

How do you explain western whiteys lying in the sun or under a tanning lamp to get a tan?

[wintermute]

this shows a deep self loathing

which comes from the fact that they know so much of their own house is not in order

and they look to the west, yet, resent the west for doing things

It's not because they want to look like farang. If they wanted that they'd increase their diet 3 times what it is now and drink more beer.

[iwad2010]

It's all about class.

Your dark skinned = Labourer

Light skinned = Office worker

Red skinned = Taksin/Irish tourist/Alcoholic

Blue skinned = Avatar

Thick skinned= PM Abashit

[tw25rw]

this shows a deep self loathing

which comes from the fact that they know so much of their own house is not in order

and they look to the west, yet, resent the west for doing things

It's not because they want to look like farang. If they wanted that they'd increase their diet 3 times what it is now and drink more beer.

Yes they do it because they desire lighter skin, not because they want to emulate a European ethnicity. Just like white people don't try to tan because they desire to be more Asian.

[wintermute]

this shows a deep self loathing

which comes from the fact that they know so much of their own house is not in order

and they look to the west, yet, resent the west for doing things

It's not because they want to look like farang. If they wanted that they'd increase their diet 3 times what it is now and drink more beer.

Yes they do it because they desire lighter skin, not because they want to emulate a European ethnicity. Just like white people don't try to tan because they desire to be more Asian.

I've talked with Thai people about this before. Ideal beauty to them is the Japanese, Chinese, and Korean type porcelain skin tone. There's a reason why the Korean and other asia boy and girl pop stars are so popular here. They look superficially beautiful with perfect white skin.

[bjoe97]

this shows a deep self loathing

which comes from the fact that they know so much of their own house is not in order

and they look to the west, yet, resent the west for doing things

Isn't it amazing that a simple thing like using skin whitener can provoke such an arrogant, condescending comment?

How do you explain western whiteys lying in the sun or under a tanning lamp to get a tan?

it not just my opinion- and its touched a nerve, showing its true. Trith is not always nice.Why not be happy with not only your skin colour, but also copying others ways.

look at one ladys aweful nose job...

most things they look up to are western

they have nose, boob jobs, they yearn to be Hi-so, their version of a Western cultured person

and what do light skinned ladys , like my ex think of dark skinned ladys "issan primates" she called them

and unfortunatly the very fact that do buy the most of those products show a deep self loathing

oh, and to answer your other question. Whitely's laying under sunbeds usually do so in order to get what is called a sun tan. I am amazed that you did not know this.

[barky]

It's elitism!

I've always felt superrior to the darker skinned hoi polloi.

[bjoe97]

this shows a deep self loathing

which comes from the fact that they know so much of their own house is not in order

and they look to the west, yet, resent the west for doing things

It's not because they want to look like farang. If they wanted that they'd increase their diet 3 times what it is now and drink more beer.

if they did not want to look farang can you please explain why nose jobs, eye rounding, boob jobs cheek implants are so popular here then? why do most model look Eurasian- why do all the stupid "hi-so so copy the west? answer- because of this, there is simply nothing really here that appleases these wrong thinkers

along with the desire to change their skin colour, thus self image, they copy- and fail misrably to look western

theres nothing at all wrong with being dark skinned

theres a lot wrong with a distorted view that one should not look a certain way that nature dictated.

It shows mental disorder- look at michael jackson.

[galvheim]

Gigabyte is correct in his approach to this, wich was exactly what I would say if I was here earlier. Its all about class. You will also notice that some people (men) will let their fingernails grow longer and usually on the smallest finger (not sure of the name :-) ). Allthough its very ugly in my point of view, it still a signal of wealth and class to have it, since it means he does not have to work in any labour intensive job that would sooner or later break his long nail.

I also seem to run into wuite a few men that are happily growing long (5 cm and more) hairs on moes in their face. I have not yet understood the reason for this, but ok.

For the workers you are talking about, and lets take the rice farmer first, there is really some practical reasons why they cover themselves. One reason is that the clothing will soak up moisture both from their sweat and from the ricefield-water, thus having a cooling effect. I sometimes apply this practice to my external harddrive when using my laptop outside in this burning heat; covering it with some toilet paper and then adding some water. Vapor from the water will cool it down a great deal, and this is also the reason why we are sweating. Another reason they are working fully covered is that the rice-plant is really itching. This is true both when its young and green and when it is yellow and ready for harvesting. My girlfriend got a lot of negative remarks when she once let me work on the farm without using a shirt. There might be other practical reasons, other than not wanting to get tanned, that they do it. Also most of the people who work on the rice field is pretty dark from other daily work, so I really not think they would care about this.

As to why construction workers often is seen totally covered by paka-maa's or balaklavas or such things is that they are protecting themselves both from heat but also from dust from concrete, grinding, welding-smoke etc. Tee fact that they are still using A LOT of asbestos in construction down here is more than a good reason to cover themselves up. They might not be aware of the facts around asbestos, but even if they are not, they will still see the symptoms quickly arise if working unprotected. Also this is protecting them from the scorching heat of the sun, which my sound counter-intuitive, but really it is.

My experience come from working in the construction industry, a wrought-iron company and on the rice-field. All for the sake of experiencing the reality of things.

[galvheim]

And as a last comment, I find actually many Thais being proud or content with being dark, and just jokingly commenting on being so black. These are usually people with both of their legs planted steadily in the ground, knowing who they are and where they come from and not pretending to be more than that...

[cdnvic]

Please keep the tone civil. One post was deleted for inappropriate racial monikers. Please use the proper tern for a person's nationality, not a slang one that could cause offense to other forum members.

[endure]

This is a phenomenon that exists in all countries that we now have started to call "emerging economies". These countries are to be found (at) or south of the aequator.

The whole of Thailand is north of the Equator.

[phetaroi]

I never could understand why people find this so fascinating or odd. All over America white people are going to tanning salons and taking all sorts of expensive treatments to become darker skinned.

[bendejo]

Not only that, but these skin whiteners make them look like cadavers, so the overall effect of their use is atrocious. I can usually spot a Lily Munster complexion right off.

IMO, the best feature of Thai girls is their skin, from alabaster-white (like in the soap commercials) to dark mahogany, and everything in between. Notice how there is almost never people with brownish skin in the commercials? Even in Malaysia, where (arguably) many people are more inclined to try to come off as Western, you'll see people with stronger pigments in commercials and as TV presenters.

A while back (like decades ago) I read a funny article about a Valley Girl (Los Angeles teeenybopper-type) reading a Pearl Buck novel, and the VG was bewildered by how a girl in the book was so concerned about the sun turning her skin brown.

[GuestHouse]

It's not just skin whitening products is it?!

As has been pointed out above there's a whole rake of plastic surgery being used to 'Westernize' looks here in Thailand.

Not to mention bleaching hair to get as close to a blond as is possible, blue, green and grey contact lenses.

And the whitening is not just 'Products' applied to the skin - There's a whole underground drug industry supplying the drugs Thais are taking to whiten their skin.

As for being proud to be dark skin - That's something I've never heard a Thai express. While I doubt a day goes by without me hearing some derogatory remark made by Thais about dark skin.